Pitfalls of Parachurch

Pitfalls of Parachurch

Nicholas T. Batzig writes:

I want to be as clear as possible at the outset. I, in no way, want this post to be received as a vitriolic rant against parachurch ministries. Rather, it is my hope that it will be received with pastoral sensitivity and concern. I actually have great appreciation for many parachurch ministries, and am personally involved with several different parachurch ministries. When I was a boy, my parents had my sister and I involved in the Skilton House—one of the most wonderful parachurch mercy ministries in the Vietnamese section of Philadelphia. I have attended two seminaries, which, by their very nature (whether the seminary professors there would acknowledge it or not), are parachurch ministries. I fully believe that there is a place for parachurch ministries, and that many have been blessed by them. That being said, I do have a growing concern about the (often inadvertent) negative consequences of parachurch ministries; and, I believe that a higher priority on the individual’s commitment to a local church is the cure for this deficiency.